Asian stock markets were mixed Thursday, as dovish news from the U.S. Federal Reserve was overshadowed by growing trade concerns, particularly after reports that the Trump administration was weighing new tariffs of up to 25% on auto imports.
Japan’s Nikkei NIK, -1.11%[1] was down 1.1%, extending Wednesday’s losses. Automakers led the losses, with Toyota Motor Corp. 7203, -3.05%[2] , Honda Motor Co. 7267, -3.39%[3] and Nissan Motor Co. 7201, -1.76%[4] all down around 3%.
South Korea’s Kospi SEU, -0.24%[5] declined too, as Hyundai Motor Co. 005380, -3.11%[6] slid some 3% and Kia Motors Corp. 000270, -2.82%[7] dropped about 2.8%.
Stocks in Hong Kong and mainland China were muted, with the Hang Seng Index HSI, +0.31%[8] up slightly and the Shanghai Composite SHCOMP, -0.45%[9] slipping 0.4% after more or less flat trade throughout the session. Markets in Taiwan Y9999, +0.47%[10] and Singapore STI, +0.93%[11] were slightly up, while financial-sector weakness held back Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 XJO, +0.08%[12] to a less than 0.1% gain.
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